His head pounded like a drum, but Pharynx still cracked a smirk at the sight of his little brother losing composure. As Discord continued to hurtle towards the hive like a launched projectile, Thorax wore an ugly grimace as he watched, his magenta eyes wide and inconsolable.

"P-Pharynx, what is Discord doing here?"

"I dunno, you tell me," Pharynx replied flatly. "You're the frolicking pixie who makes friends with literally everyone - why is the incarnation of chaos here, Thorax?"

Screeching to a halt just outside the hive's foundation, Discord exited his vehicle. The draconequus slammed the driver side door, and so the entire car exploded in a veil of steam. Thorax began to hyperventilate.

"I'm not sure", he squeaked, "I didn't invite him, if that's what you're inferring!"

"Well I suggest you figure out why he's here before I treat him as a serious threat to the hive," Pharynx outlined. "I don't care what the ponies say his alignments are - I don't trust anything that powerful."

Pharynx wheeled on his hooves, bringing a familiar face to his attention. "Tibia, secure the hive. Standard lockdown procedures. Until further notice I want all nymphs in the nursery, and guard changelings stationed at all key points. And get Tarsus - for Hive's sake, where is he?"

"Tarsus was dealing with a stray salamander that set fire to some of the brush on the northern border, Prince Pharynx," Tibia replied. "If I don't see him during my lockdown of the hive, I will go find him."

Tibia's glistening wings buzzed to life, and the bug pony flew through a hole in the hive's exterior. A few moments passed before Pharynx wheeled around again, this time leaning into Thorax with an impatient glare.

"What are you still doing here?", Pharynx asked abruptly, nudging Thorax in the side. "Go flex those interpersonal skills and see what he wants. I'm preparing for the worst, but I'm not prodding a bee hive preemptively, either. Unless things go south, I'm leaving recon to you."

Thorax chuckled. "Oh, I see how it is - throw me to the wolf first to see if it bites, then move in. Aren't older brothers supposed to protect their little brothers from danger, Pharynx?"

Pharynx scoffed as he pushed Thorax along with his head. "Protect you from what? You're not in danger, you idiot."

"But you're putting me in a situation where I could be, when you could deal with it, yourself."

"You're better at yammering and are more of an obvious eyesore than I am, so you get to be the decoy," Pharynx shot back, pushing harder. "Doesn't mean I won't be nearby with troops, ready to pounce. Besides, this is retribution for making me babysit those hyperactive nymphs last week."

"Hey now, I didn't make you do anything," Thorax said with a grin, glancing back as he was guided along. "You came to the decision of teaching the nymphs all on your own, all I did was point out why spending time with them was important."

"Quit arguing and go be a neon chew toy," Pharynx grumbled. "That disaster is probably trying to get inside."

"Remarkable architecture, don't you agree?"

"Why yes, truly fascinating design - the flora reminds me of dear Fluttershy's cottage."

"Indeed! It's all very fitting, very fairy-like."

"Oh, I do so love fairies. They're effective against dark-types, you know."

"Yes, but who knew the changelings could evolve by destroying a magical stone rather than using it!"

A trio of Discords pursed their lips, nodding to each other in agreement. The furthest Discord spun around a white and red hat, and straightened his deep blue jacket. Christened upon it were eight buttons, each the face of a different pony - Celestia, Fluttershy and Twilight among them.

"Um, hello there, Discord. It's...nice to see you again?"

Three pairs of yellow eyes turned to examine a small convoy exiting the hive. At the forefront of the troop stood Thorax, wearing an awkward smile. A few drones curiously observed the mismatched creatures, standing just behind their king.

"Ah, there's the bug of the hour," the Discords exclaimed merrily, merging into one form again like a mass of sentient play-doh. A spontaneous red banner with a crudely drawn Thorax sprung up from just behind him, and confetti fell from some place unseen. "You're looking as charmingly over the top as ever, I see. How's being a ruler going for you? Do you measure your bug ponies in feet, or in yards?"

A roll of measuring tape popped into existence, enwrapping the observing drones like a coiling python. While the bug ponies chittered in mild annoyance, stamping and tearing at the invasive tape, Thorax shook his head.

"I'm doing well enough, and I guess we measure in yards, since we don't have feet," he replied with a hint of snark. "I see you're as over the top as ever, yourself, Discord."

Discord gasped. In the blink of an eye he was by Thorax's side, pressing his snout against the colorful monarch's. "Oh, you've got a bit of cheekiness to you now, don't you? I like you more already, Your Buggyness."

Thorax craned his neck away from the invasive entity, raising a hoof in distress. "Uh, well, thanks, I guess. I did get a little help from a friend on becoming more assertive, recently."

"How wonderful. Anypony I know?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Do you know Princess Ember?"

Discord scrunched his face. "Princess who now?"

"Dragon Lord Ember?", Thorax elaborated. "The new leader of the dragons?"

Discord crossed his legs and sat upon thin air, stroking a talon through his goatee. "Oh, the tsundere child of Torch, yes? I do believe Fluttershy said something to the effect of the Dragon Lord visiting Ponyville, recently. Though I owe a limb to their ancestry I never did take to the dragons, they tend to be a rather dull bunch - excluding your little friend Spike, of course."

Discord vanished, reappearing in a heartbeat just behind the hiding pack of drones. Without warning he scooped them up like a collection of dolls and embraced them, smirking when they gave squeaks of discontent. "Nothing like you all, at least not anymore. You're all simply adorable now, and it's all thanks to our little team. Yay us~"

Thorax hid his onset wince. "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to the hive today, Discord?"

Dropping the struggling pack of changelings in a heap, Discord's body deflated like a balloon. "A little pegasus told me that Starlight and Trixie came to visit you some time ago. I wasn't invited to that particular reconciliation, so I decided to pay you all a visit, myself."

"Oh, well, that's very thoughtful of you," Thorax replied, relief tracing his voice. "I'm honored - I didn't think you were all that interested in visiting us, to be honest. I kinda figured once you rescued your friend, Fluttershy, you'd move on."

An air pump materialized and began to inflate Discord's limp form. "Nonsense," he chuckled, needing no permission to roughly rub the one safe space between Thorax's sharp antlers. "We overthrew a grumpy queen and saved the entire cast of protagonists, together - we're practically besties."

From just a few yards away Thorax's drones stood and brushed themselves of dirt, casting unsure glances his way.

"So what exactly is that thing?", one hissed to the others. "Also, why is it giving Thorax a noogie?"

"His name is Discord, and don't let him fool you, he's crazy powerful," another drone replied. "He's friends with ponies now, but he used to be a tyrant who ruled over the whole land. From what Chrysalis said, not only was there no love to feed on in those days, but there was no way we could take him on, either - we'd have been taken over, too, if not for the dark stone's power."

"Thank you, Captain Exposition," a third deadpanned. "As for those of us who were actually on guard duty when Chrysalis was usurped, we've already met him. You left out the fact that he's completely nuts. Spend too much time around him and you'll get zany, too."

The first drone sighed. "Today is going to be a long day. Prince Pharynx is gonna lose his shell the moment this guy so much as coughs up a rabbit or something."

The trio shared a hollow laugh.

Across the clearing, Thorax had begun to recover from his headache, forcing another smile as Discord's beady eyes fell his way.

"Well, Discord, since you're here, would you like to have a tour of the hive?", the alpha changeling offered. "A lot has changed from the desolate place you saw the last time you were here, and I still have to introduce you to my brother."

"Most definitely," Discord replied with ernest, floating through the air as if on a cloud. "I was just telling myself about how fascinating your new home is. I haven't seen the 'forest sprite' look pulled off this well since the wood nymphs of the Griffish Isles. Of course, that was over a millennia ago."

The spirit of chaos touched ground again. Every movement he made drew the total attention of the observing drones, staring at him like curious cats. With a raise of his brow Discord snapped his fingers, a laser pointer materializing between his paws.

"I'll give you a brief tour of the hive's new additions, then," Thorax replied, gazing up at the towering structure behind them. "Everyling worked really hard to build it into something new we could all enjoy, and I came up with some fun activities for us to do together. I think you'll really appreciate the theater troupe, they put on really fun shows!"

The faintest of snickering tickled Thorax's ears. He shifted to find his dispatch of changelings shrunken to the ground, their butts in the air as they took turns pouncing and batting at an elusive red dot. Every now and then they'd strike the ground with their hooves, only to find the dot had escaped again.

"It's getting away, you guys! Get it!"

"Catch it, Cimex, what are you doing!?"

"I don't know! Why am I doing this!? Why is this so fun!?"

"I don't know what I was worried about," Discord said, sending the dot over a rock and watching the drones clamber over each other to follow it. "You seem to be every bit the ferocious hunters you used to be. Way to go, Thorax - way to show everypony that you don't need some cranky old bug queen, or her drab sense of color coordination to be effective."

Thorax sighed and buried his face in one hoof. "Hey, you guys? Who wants to help me show our guest, Discord the hive? Maybe we'll have time to stop by the hot springs."

The red dot faded from every changeling's mind, and a slew of bulbous eyes emerged from atop the rock.

"Ooh, that's a good idea. I could use a relaxing soak," a blue drone chirped, turning to elicit nods from his peers.

"Yeah, and Prince Pharynx never goes in the hot springs," a second added. "Can't become collateral damage of his tantrum if he's not around!"

Thorax chuckled. "Just wait inside for me, okay? I need to check on something real quick, and then we can all go, together."

Discord wore a shameless grin. "You know, a soak does sound nice. So glad I thought of it. Lead the way, my little neon beetlefolk."

Fitting for a trip to the hot springs, a decorative white towel, stitched with his own face appeared around Discord's waist. In no time at all the squad of bug ponies escorted the chaos spirit towards the hive, chatting his ear off the entire way. Thorax alone remained behind, watching the group step through the hive's morphing doorways, and out of sight.

"...I know you're there, Pharynx," Thorax said suddenly, darting a skeptical look at the surrounding boulders. "If you insist on eavesdropping all the time, you really should come up with new disguises. I've memorized the number of edges on your rock immitation."

For a moment there was silence, a confident looking Thorax standing amidst the clearing. A turquoise flame enveloped a jagged rock a few yards away, and Pharynx's disapproving scowl entered the world once again.

"He's jealous."

"It seems like it, yeah."

"He missed out on you being a dork, me being an outcast and the ponies failing to address a situation properly...and he's somehow jealous."

"It's the principle of the thing, Pharynx, he just wants to be included."

Pharynx rolled his compound eyes. "Right, the entity of mayhem and catastrophe feels left out. How could I be so insensitive."

The brothers made their way through the hive's exterior, the hot rays of sun giving way to cool shadows across their backs. While Thorax embraced them, tall and calm, Pharynx skulked along, watching the paths ahead like a hawk.

"Things will be just fine, Pharynx, you'll see," Thorax encouraged. "All we have to do is keep Discord entertained for a while - how hard can it be?"

Pharynx shook his head. "Never ask that question, Thorax. Don't tempt the fates. I turn my back for one second and he'll have the entire hive doing gymnastics. I'm not letting him out of my sight, and you'd better not, either. I wouldn't have even offered a tour of the hive in the first place."

Thorax let out a one-note chuckle. "What else should I have offered? He would have wanted to see the new hive, anyway. Besides, he's not that bad. I'm pretty sure the Discord you're thinking of was reformed quite a while ago. Granted we may not be close friends, but I know him enough to know his boundaries."

An eyebrow accompanied a head turn. "Do you, though? Because I'm pretty sure he was incapable of using magic on the one occasion you spent any length of time with him."

Thorax's confident look grew sheepish. "Well, touché. Still though, if Twilight and her friends have accepted him as a citizen of Equestria, he's bound to have improved a lot. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. He did help your little brother take on the entire hive to rescue his friends, remember?"

Thorax grinned, fishing for a reaction, but Pharynx merely scoffed. "The little brother I know would have hyperventilated under the pressure", he laughed. "Let me guess, you were a map while the others did most of the footwork and planning."

Thorax frowned. "I think we're getting off topic here, but I'll have you know I was way more than a map. I helped Trixie with a diversion and even fooled Chrysalis through a switch out with Starlight. It was a full team effort, Pharynx...besides, I didn't hyperventilate that much."

The royal changelings reached a central chamber, and a grand ceiling opened up before them, as did a sea of expectant eyes. Within seconds, frantic bug ponies swarmed the pair, yammering over each other in an inaudible harmony. While Thorax grimaced in surprise, Pharynx's face grew stern, slamming his hoof against the earth and eliciting quiet.

"One at a time, we've been through this before," Pharynx said coolly, giving the guilty-looking crowd a pivoting glance before locking eyes with a particular drone. "Scapus, go."

Scapus, a red-hued adolescent, nodded firmly. "Prince Pharynx, you gotta come see this - there was a really, really weird looking goat that just walked through here, wearing a bath towel. He snapped his claw and all the theatre costumes came to life!"

Thorax refrained from shifting his gaze, dreading the 'I told you so' expression coming off Pharynx in his peripheral.

"Then what happened?", Pharynx followed up, returning his attention to the saluting drone. "Did you see where he went?"

Scapus showed his teeth, glowing with excitement. "Of course! I heard it compliment Nydra on how well she made the theater outfits, and that's when it brought them to life. Then it said something about 'taking a dip', and he and a bunch of other changelings headed down hive."

"But, where'd the costumes go?", Thorax put in, peering around the room to only find confused bug ponies.

"I guess they must have felt dirty because they followed the goat thing to the hot springs," Scapus replied.

Thorax was pinned to the adjacent wall with a look.

"How about that, Thorax," Pharynx growled. "The costumes felt dirty and decided they needed a wash in the hot springs. Gee, I wonder where the goat thing could have gotten that idea."

"Thanks for the help, Scapus," Thorax said suddenly, hurriedly trotting towards the southern most corridor. "Do us a favor and wait here until Tibia and Tarsus come back. Let them know what's going on too, and tell them were we went, okay?"

Scapus stomped a hoof and nodded. "Oh, sure! You can count on me, Thorax!"

Leaving the eager drone behind, the echoing sounds of running hooves filled the chamber, only growing louder when they entered the far tunnel. Soon enough a second set of steps joined the first, and Pharynx joined his brother's side, lancing him with further glares.

"This just gets better and better", Pharynx growled. "One of our lead guards is still missing, we've already lost the omnipotent creature wearing a bath towel, and now said creature is off somewhere playing pied piper for laundry."

"Like I said, it'll be just fine", Thorax mumbled, shakes lacing his tone. "You already had the hive put on high alert, so he won't have much of a crowd, no matter where he goes. We'll catch up with him, take him on a brief - and quiet - tour of the hive, make him feel included, and send him on his way."

"Well, let's hurry and catch up with him before his wacky magic spreads too far," Pharynx warned. "If even a single nymph catches wind that the goofy lord of pranks and nonsense is here, we'll never be rid of him, Thorax. We'll be stuck between an endless circus, and a mountain of puppy dog eyes wanting him to stay."

"You think I don't know that?", Thorax hissed, desperately rounding a bend and soaring down another flight of steps. "I'm the one who gets asked constantly what he was like, and who gets told how cool it'd be for him to spend time with us. I was counting on all the nymphs being tucked away in the nursery hive like you ordered when I invited him in."

"Just like how you were counting on him to stand there, obediently waiting for us to catch up?"

"Can we please just focus on finding him? Talking about uncertain outcomes is just going to make you mad and freak me out!"

A sly smirk unearthed from Pharynx's set frown. "You know how you're always asking why I'm such a homebody? Why I hate having guests and breaking routine? I give you exhibit A, Thorax. I give you exhibit A."

As the sun's rays warmed Equestria's lush hills and expanses of forest, two ponies walked a trailing path caught in-between. A young stallion with a striking orange mane hung on the every word of his company, a light purple mare with a cutie mark that glimmered in the sunlight.

"Thanks for coming with me, Sunburst. Normally I wouldn't ask for a favor like this so last minute, but Trixie is in Vanhoover doing a magic show tour this week, and Twilight's swamped with paperwork, today. I hope the Crystal Empire will survive at least a few hours without you."

Sunburst stifled a laugh. "Oh, not a problem at all. I may have a bit more on my plate than studying and re-studying ancient runes and texts, now, but the Crystal Empire is...well, uneventful, especially compared to Canterlot or Ponyville. These days our only major concern is keeping things intact when Flurry Heart has a tantrum."

Starlight shared Sunburst's chuckle. "Luckily for you, her parents get to deal with that a little more frequently than you do."

"Exactly," Sunburst concluded, light reflecting off his glasses. "Princess Cadance assured me that things would be fine, at least for the day. Now I can focus on helping you, help King Thorax."

"I had a feeling you'd be keen on visiting the changeling hive again, too," Starlight said with a knowing smile. "Studying other species and forms of magic has always been something you love. If you'd like to spend some time chatting with Thorax while we're there, today, I don't mind. You know, after we fetch Discord and settle Twilight's worries."

Sunburst sidelined a bemused look. "Oh, certainly! I'd love to spend some time looking around the new hive, and see just what King Thorax has accomplished. I still have to meet his brother, as well. I have to be honest though, changelings aren't the only thing I'm looking forward to with this visit."

Starlight threw up a brow. "Really? What else is?"

"Discord!", Sunburst exclaimed with a prance.

"Discord?" Starlight repeated, starting up her trot again. "But, Sunburst, you've already met Discord several times, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I've yet to actually sit down with him, before," the stallion explained. "He's elusive, and hard to find if you don't know where he's going to be ahead of time. Unlike Thorax, he was more akin to a force of nature than a guest, at your graduation dinner. Not once was I able to hold down a conversation with him."

The pair came to a light woods, crunching dried leaves and branches beneath their hooves as they crossed. The afternoon sun lazily made its way past the canopies above, and cast long, twisting shadows across the ground as it did. Sunburst looked up through the parting trees, watching the rays of light descend, and to it, he smiled.

"Like you said, Starlight, I enjoy studying magic, and of all the magical forces in Equestria, Discord's magic is one of the strongest and strangest. Nobody is really certain just how old he is, or where he even came from. Is he truly a spirit, somehow connected to our world's balance of magic, or is he simply a rare, nearly extinct race of creatures long forgotten?"

Starlight held an unblinking stare as the stallion went on, and together they broke through the forest's line of trees. Far in the distance, crowning the horizon was the changeling hive, bright with foliage and shimmering rock.

"I've just never had an occasion to study him, before," Sunburst continued. "After all, he was sealed in stone and called a myth by many for most of my life. Anything I could ask him has probably been asked since his release, but I figure while we're here to corral him, I may as well use the opportunity to try and grab a bit of an interview for myself."

"I...guess I've never thought much of him, before," Starlight mumbled aloud, examining the pebbles lining the path at her hooves. "I never heard of him before I met him, and by that point he had already been reformed. You're right, though - his magic is even more fluid and versatile than anything Twilight or I could do, and we've spent our lives studying magic."

"He's the only known practitioner of chaos magic, which is arguably the most versatile magic known to Equestria," Sunburst said with a bite of his lip. "Unicorn magic manipulates the environment and ourselves, but chaos magic warps the fabric of reality, itself. With any luck, this little excursion today will be the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about it!"

Starlight found her hooves trotting more hurriedly with each passing second. "One thing at a time, Sunburst. Let's just focus on ensuring Discord doesn't cross any lines, first. Twilight was right, the changelings aren't used to experiencing chaos magic in the same way that ponies are, and Discord isn't exactly known for his finesse."

"Oh, of course!", Sunburst stammered, readjusting his sliding glasses. "Corralling Discord is the first priority. Though, he is reformed, now, Starlight - how much trouble could he possibly get away with, these days?"

Starlight scanned the approaching hive, waiting with bated breath for the grand stone peaks to become candy canes, or for the rich foliage lining the exterior to become sentient. Even as the hive remained quiet and still, her thoughts proving to be mere fabrication, she could practically feel the peace in the air being challenged.

"...Sunburst, you'd be surprised what Discord can get away with."

"Oho, welcome, changelings and changelets! Come one, come all, and witness a show unlike anything before seen by changeling eyes! Nymphs to the front, and remember, no pushing or shoving - we're a peaceful colony, now."

Thorax felt his heart incessantly ring against his chest, his legs growing numb. Before him was the hive's hot springs chamber, morphed to be three times its normal size by Discord's magic. Decorative red sofas, round tables and dark oak bathtubs littered the expansive extra space, all occupied by drones of various ages. The entire room wrapped around a central stage, complete with a royal purple curtain, and bathed in light from a series of floating spotlights.

"Rest your rears and soak your hooves, my little bug ponies, and hear the tale of the brave and indomitable Captain Wuzz, and his triumph over Queen Cheeselegs - the nasty cohort of the evil Squizzard!"

The purple curtains parted, and pieces of cardboard floated out from backstage, caricatures of Discord and Chrysalis crudely scribbled upon them. Applause and shouts of glee rang from the chamber as the cutouts began to act out a duel by continuously bumping into each other.

Detached from the commotion and standing at the far end of the room, Thorax looked on with a twitching eye and agape mouth, while Pharynx ground a hoof across his face.

"Well, that answers where the costumes went," Pharynx sighed.

"B-but, I don't understand, how did he get the-the nymphs were-I thought you-"

"Looks like the whole hive is here, too," Pharynx continued, ignoring his brother's ongoing stammering. "So much for a 'quiet tour of the hive'. So much for a lockdown, either, for that matter. Welcome to Tartarus, Thorax, population: us."

"Ah, hold onto your shells, everyling, our esteemed leaders have graced our little show with their presence!", came Discord's amplified voice. "Let's all give them a warm welcome! Perhaps someling would like to help them to their seats?"

A pair of spotlights sniped the brothers from across the chamber, and all eyes turned to see. Before Thorax or Pharynx could even blink, half a dozen nymphs eagerly flew from their seats, beelining to them with huge smiles. While Thorax grimaced in surprise, waiting for his imminent tackle, Pharynx's sour look pierced through the nymph's numbers and connected with Discord's cunning smirk, lit like a beacon on the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah, I definitely preferred it when we were evil and didn't get visitors."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the hiatus, was caught between the equally lengthy tasks of moving apartments, having inconsistent internet troubles via squirrel damage, and buying a new computer.

On a side note however, I did have some time to go through old chapters and do a little editing. There were a few grammar rules I forgot about, and that's been resolved.

And yes, I do plan on introducing Ocellus at some point, but she won't be playing any major roles, seeing as she'll be at school a lot. Besides, we have Apex already, can't have too many diabeetus-inducing nymphs around or nobody will survive what's already a fluffpocolypse. :P

Looking forward to what comes next for the changelings this season!